How can creativity help us heal? A doctor and a cartoonist answer | Amy Baxter and Navied Mahdavian
TED Talks Daily
TED
4.1 • 12.1K Ratings
🗓️ 7 June 2025
⏱️ 29 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
When medicine mixes with metaphor, what kind of healing transpires? In this unexpected meeting of minds, physician Amy Baxter shares her innovative approach to treating pain, while cartoonist Navied Mahdavian explores how he traces its deeper meaning. From punchlines to pain scales, they reveal how drawing can be diagnostic and why medicine might just need a touch more whimsy. (This conversation is part of "TED Intersections," a series featuring thought-provoking conversations between experts navigating the ideas shaping our world.)
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Hey, TED Talks Daily listeners. It's Elise. Thank you for making this show part of your daily routine. |
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| 0:22.7 | Head to the episode description to find the link to the listener survey. |
| 0:26.2 | We would really appreciate you doing it. |
| 0:29.0 | Thank you so much for taking the time to help the show. |
| 0:45.3 | You're listening to TED Talks Daily, where we bring you new ideas and conversations to spark your curiosity every day. I'm your host, Elise Hugh. Ted Intersections is back for a second season. This original series features unscripted conversations between TED speakers and experts |
| 0:55.4 | taking on subjects at the intersection of their expertise. In today's conversation, Navid |
| 1:01.7 | Medavian, a New Yorker cartoonist and writer, sits down with physician Amy Baxter to answer the |
| 1:08.0 | question, how do you navigate pain? You'll be amazed by the connections they make |
| 1:13.0 | between telling stories on paper, |
| 1:15.2 | treating physical pain, |
| 1:16.6 | and how the act of healing manifests in unexpected ways. |
| 1:20.3 | That's up next. |
| 1:27.0 | How did the dog sneak out? |
| 1:28.3 | When did that parcel vanish? |
| 1:31.3 | Who was outside last night? |
| 1:33.3 | Arlo doesn't miss a thing. |
| 1:36.3 | From 4K cameras to powerful AI detection, |
| 1:39.3 | Arlo makes a watched over space a safer space. |
| 1:43.3 | Arlo, 10 yearsover space a safer space. |
... |
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